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Your four-week journey through the Whole Body Action Plan shouldn't just focus on food, fitness, and physical health: It's equally important to develop good habits centered around your mental health. This means taking note of what causes you daily stress or unhappiness, noting it in your journal, and working toward solutions for these problems.

One effective stress-relief strategy is meditation: It's free, it can be done almost anywhere at any time, and you don't need any special equipment to practice. "Meditation teaches us focused concentration -- and the more you do it, the easier it gets," says Frank Lipman, M.D., holistic physician and creator of our Stress Relief Action Plan. Some of the exercises below are adapted from Lipman's book "Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Start Living Again" (Fireside; 2009).

If taking up meditation seems daunting, however, start with devoting just 15 minutes a day to this beginner-friendly technique. Once you've made it a habit, deepen your practice with the additional techniques below.

Meditation for Beginners

Sit in a chair and allow your body to settle.

Slowly scan your body from toe to head, noticing where you feel tight.

Lie on your back, knees bent and feet hip-width apart so that your kneecaps are in line with your hipbones.

Place two tennis balls at the top of your shoulder blades, side my side, then slowly lower your shoulders. If your neck is uncomfortable, place a pillow behind your head.

Lift your arms to the ceiling, then move them slowly toward your knees and then toward the wall behind you. Repeat this movement 10 times.

Foot Massage

Stand on your mat or carpeted surface with a tennis ball under the ball of one foot.

Gently press your body weight into the tennis ball. Slowly open and close your foot over the tennis ball, flaring your toes when you open them and squeezing like a fist when you close.

Repeat five times in one area, then move to a different part of the foot. Stop on any area that is tender, apply as much pressure as you can bear, and hold it for a few seconds. Continue until you have "rolled" every area of the foot.

When you are finished with one foot, stand with both feet on the floor and feel the difference between the two feet.